Slide fastener



Fb. 9, 1943. BERKNER 2,310,609

S LIDE FASTENER Filed March 17, 1942 Inventor cost. I

and are arranged Patented Feb. 9, 1943 I Arthur K. Berknehfassalc, N.J., assignor of onefourth toWilliam I. Brown, Montclair, onefourth toPeter P. Nielsen, Belleville, and one- The invention relates toimprovements in slide fasteners, and among the important objects of rthe invention are to provide a slide fastener arrangement which may .bepositively locked against movement along the complementary stringers, toprovide a substantially wholly nonmetaliic slide which may be made ofplastic or other suitable material in any desirable color and beeffectively resistant to rust and discoloration, while being at the sametime lighter in weight than conventional all-metal slides, and at thesame time capable of construction at a lower Other important objects andadvantages of the invention will be apparent from a reading of thefollowing description taken in connection with the appended drawing,wherein for purposes of illustration a preferred embodiment of theinvention is shown. In the drawing:

. Figure 1 is a fragmentary contracted front ale;-

vational view of the embodiment. Figure 2 is a fragmentary reverse viewof-Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary end elevational view showing one of thelocking members of a stringer; l

Figure 4 is an elevational view showing a mating pair of locking membersin mated relation.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing the locking membersin separated relation.

Figure 6 is an outer end elevational view of one of the locking members.Figure '7 is a transverse vertical-sectional view taken through Figure 5along the line 1-1 and looking toward the right in the direction of thearrows.

Figure 8 is an enlarged top plan view of the slide showing the handledrawn down to releas ing position.

Figure 9 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantiallycentrally through Figure 8.

Figure 10 is an enlarged transversevertical sectional view taken throughthe body of the slide.

Figure 11 is a longitudinalsectional view taken through the removablecap.

Figure 12 is a plan view of the locking spring. Referring in detailtothe drawing, the numerals 5 'and 6 generally designate the cloth or.other suitable material stringers which have their inner edges coniinedas indicate in Figure l0 of the drawing in the slots I and 8 of thecorresponding left and right hand locking members 9 and I0 which arecylindrical inform in alternating staggered relation as indicated inFigures land 2 of the drawing along the stringers 5 and 8. The lockingweight, and

semi-circular cut away portion fourth to Harry Griflinger, Newark, N. J.Application March 17, 1942, Serial No. 435,096 1 Claim. (01. 24-2055)members comprise reduced segmental-shaped heads .B'and In which aredefined by a rectangular notch H atone sideand a substantially l!- onthe opposite side, whereby a substantially J-shaped cross section arm I3is, defined which Joins the heads with the adjacent end of thecylindrical bodies of the locking members. As indicated in Figure 5,'the cut away portions II and I2 have their sides beveie'd toconformably receive the sub-i 'stantially beveled ends'of the heads 9'and I01 due to the substantially elliptical shape of the heads when seenin horzontal section or in top plan as indicated in Figure 5 of thedrawing. In adiacentlocking members projecting from the opposedstringers 5 and 9' adjacent the next upper locking member is received inthe right angular notch ii, while the rectangular notch ll. of the nextlower locking member receives the same end of the head on the next lowerlockingmemberasindicatedin the drawing, whereby lateral motion of thelocking members relative to each other as well as longitudinal relativemovement thereof is positively prevented, while a1 certain amount offlex ibility is provided due to the formation of the parts. I

The slide or nated i4 comprises the plastic material box body it whichis openas indicated by the numeral It at its lower end and partly closedat its upper end as indicated by the numeral ll by a threequartercircular wall. The side walls are longitudinally slotted as indicated bythe numerals i8 and i9, respectively, to slidably and freely accommodatethe stringers B and 8, as clearly shown in Figure 10 of the drawing, thesaid side walls of the box body l5 running along the outer ends of thelocking elements, and the'top and bottom walls of the said body runningalong the upper and lower sides of the locking elements.

As indicatedin Figure 9 of the drawing the said side walls arediscontinuous at the points indicated by the numeral 20 in substantiallyspaced relation to the segmental end wall IT. The boxbody it may be madeof any suitable non-metallic material and maybe given any desired coloror ornamentation, and because of its nonmetallic character, it 'will.successfully resist rust and other objectionablefeatures of metallicsliders, while having a substantially reduced be capable of beingproduced at a much lower cost. In addition, the structure andarrangement of parts described allows the slider body to be of a smallerthan usual size and bulk.

The top wall II of the'box body I! has a longitudinal narrow depressedwall portion which defines at the upper end of the top wall a rightangular shoulder 28. At the lower end of the body and in alignmentwith'the depressed por- I, the side of the head slider which isgenerally desig-I tion 22 is a raised lug 24. An opening 25 is pro- Ivided between the lower end of the depressed point 26a of the lockingarrangement to project to a position in between any two adjacent lockingmembers so as to prevent the slide or slider from moving along thestringers until the point 26a has been raised out of such engagement.

The said locking point 261: is formed on one side of the lower end of afiat rectangular plate 21 whichhas a raised L-shaped extension or flange28 at its upper end which fits over the shoulder 23 and is heldin placeby a rivet or other suitable fastener 29. In the event that the plate 21is of spring material or of thin spring metal, the operating spring 29amay be made integral with the plate 21 by punching it out of the plateto an upwardly and longitudinally bowed shape as indicated in Figures 9and of the drawing, with the down turned terminal 30 resting on thelower end of the plate 21 over the locking point 26a and secured to theplate 21...

To hold the locking spring 29a and consequently the point 26a inoperative relation to the balance of the structure, a structural pin 3|is passed upwardly and longitudinally in the lug 24 to pass through avertically elongated slot 32 in the downturned terminal-3U. Theelongation of the slot 32 allows the spring 29 and the plate 21 andconsequently the locking point 26 a certain amount of movement relativeto the body l5, sufilcient .to allow "withdrawal of the point 264: froma position between two adjacent ones of the locking member's,'when thespring 29 is pulled outwardly and by grasping the finger piece 34 whichhas attached to it an elongated loop 35 which is trained through thebowed spring 29 as clearly shown in the drawing. Both the finger piece36 and the loop 35 may be made of plastic or other non-metallic materialor they may be made of metal. As indicated in Figure 9 of the drawing alongitudinal ridge on the top wall 36 of the body It projects through aportion of the slot defined in the plate 21 due to the cutting outtherefrom of the spring 29a.

A cover which is generally designated 31 and which is removable uponremoval of the structural pin 3| comprises a fiat pan-shaped nonmetallicmaterial casing of a shape and size to fit over the top wall of the boxbody [5, with raised portions 38 and 39 on opposite sides of the spring29a as indicated in Figure 10 of the drawing. The upper end wall of thecover has a tongue to apertured to snap over and receive the lug 4| onthe upper end of the body l5, while the lower flange is apertured topass the structural pin 3|.

It willappear from the foregoing that inorder to slide the slider in anupward direction so as to close the stringers 5 and 6 together andoperatively connect the locking members, the finger piece 34 is pulledin an upward direction, so that the loop 35 slides along the spring 29ato the upper end thereof, thereby-temporarily with drawing the lockingpin 26a from locking engagement with the locking members and permit tingthe slide to move along in an upward direction to efiect the closure ofthe stringers. Upon the slider's reaching the desired elevated'posltionalong the stringers, relaxation of pull on the finger piece 34 willallow the locking pin 26a rethe downward and outward pull therebyexerted withdraws the locking pin 26a from engagement with the lockingmembers and permits the slider to move downwardly along the lockingmembers and allows the locking members to separate as they emerge fromthe openings on the opposite sides of the segmental block or wall l'l'adjacent the upper end of the box-like body, and emerge from the sidesof the body through the openings defined between the discontinuations 20of the side walls of the box body and the sides of the segmental blockll which forms a part of the upper wall IT. From the foregoing it willbe apparent that until the locking pin 25a is withdrawn by positiveoperation of the spring 29a, the slider will not move from the positionto which it has been adjusted.

Although I have shown and described herein a preferred embodiment of theinvention, it is to be definitely understood that it is not desired tolimit the application of the invention thereto except as may be requiredby the scope of the sub- Joined claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is: V

A slide fastener comprising a pair of separable stringers, lockingelements projecting from the facing edges of the stringers alternatelyfrom said edges and comprising bodies attached to the edges of thestringers and heads on the inner ends of the bodies defined by notcheson opposite sides of the bodies affording recesses for reception ofportions of the heads of adjacent locking elements, a slider comprisinga box having abbreviated longitudinal side walls to engage the outerends of the bodies of the locking elements to combine said lockingelements in engaged position, said side walls being longitudinallyslotted to pass said stringers, said box having a segmental separator atits upper end in spaced relation to said side walls to defin openingsthrough which the locking elements pass into and out of the box, alocking spring mounted on the top wall of said box and having a lockingpin normally-projecting through an opening formed ,the slider along thestringers is positively prevented, operating means for withdrawing saidlocking pin to permit the slider to be moved in either directioncomprising a finger piece flexibly connected to a portion of'saidlocking spring and arranged to withdraw said locking pin from lockingposition and move the slider along the stringer when the finger piece ispulled in an outward and longitudinal direction, said portion of thelocking spring comprising an outwardly and longitudinally bowed memberwith a loop andable therealong to flexibly connect the finger piecetherewith, a cover comprising a pan-shaped casing fitting on the top orouter side of said box and being apertured to expose said bowed memberof the spring, and securing means removably mounting the cover on thebox.

- ARTHUR K. BERKNER.

